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Description

Waking Up and Letting Go
May

I shot up in my bed when my brother knocked on my door. I had to hold back a scream as he had interrupted my nightmare.
“Oh, May- I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay, Aaron,” I said as I motioned for him to come in. “What time is it?”
“It’s 1:30, May. T-the cops are here.” I hated hearing my big brother stutter. It meant one of two things; he was nervous or he was sad. In this case it was both.
“I don’t want to talk to them.”
“I know, May but it’s been two months… We have to eventually.”
“What do they even want to know? If we kidnapped her? If we killed her? Why would they ask us anything? I didn’t see her for a year and suddenly they wanna ask me why she’s missing?” I could see the shock on my brother’s face. I was generally a very quiet person so expressing my opinion… well it was a very… Lily thing to do. “I’m sorry, Aaron…”
“No it’s okay, May. I understand. Just hurry and get dressed. The cops are in the living room.”
“They’re here now?” I groaned.
“Emmie- May you have to.”
“Can I have twenty minutes to watch an episode of VenturianTale?” I pleaded. I knew my brother couldn’t say no to me. Not after what we’ve been through. So what I was kinda being manipulative. I didn’t want to talk to the cops.
“Fine. But hurry, please.” Aaron walked out of my room after kissing my head.
“What am I supposed to say?” I grumbled. Of course there were no new VenturianTale episodes. There hadn’t been since Lily went missing. I’d come up with a billion different conspiracy theories about why they went missing at the same time, why my cousin’s room had burned down saving nothing but her sketchbook. I hadn’t figured out a way to tie it all into VenturianTale yet. Yet.
I got up and just put on a pair of jeans I found in the floor next to my bed. They happened to be Lily’s. Of course I would never wear her t-shirts. Missing or not, she’d kill me if I touched her batman t-shirts or hoodies. She seemed to have taken them all with her when she left anyways. So I instead decided to throw on my T.A.R.D.I.S t-shirt and threw my hair up in a bun.
I took out my computer and started playing a video while I did my makeup. Just the usual P.I.E ghost hunt video I watched nearly every day because it reminded me of my sister and me running around our backyard pretending to be Ghost and Toast while Aaron ran away from us pretending to be Maxwell. I let it play while I did some simple makeup. You know, mascara, foundation. Nothing flashy.
As the video went on, I was mouthing the words as I’d seen it so many times I had memorized it by now. “Stop watching now,” Jordan’s voice rang in my head but… But that’s not part of the video. I remember. I remember every word and Jordan never said that. “Seriously stop. You’re in danger. Stop watching. I can’t stress this enough. Stop watching.”
I turned to the computer and saw smoke rising from it. “Aaron?” I stood up and opened the door. “Aaron!”
Aaron ran into my room. “What?! What is it? May are you okay?”
“Aaron something’s going on with my computer.”
Aaron looked at the smoke and quickly grabbed me and covered my head. The computer exploded and I coughed up a storm. “What the- Aaron?”
Aaron was looking around us. He stood up and helped me to my feet. “I… I think I know where we are but-“
“I swear to Gershwin if you say we aren’t in Kansas anymore I’ll stab you.” I held my head. There were people staring at us. We were in the middle of a desert, surrounded by tents and being gawked at like we’d just fallen from the sky and asked to be taken to their leader.
“What is going on out here- Oh my,” a girl with choppy brown hair who was dressed like she was ready for the zombie apocalypse said, walking out of a tent. “Oh my J-Jordan needs to know about this!” She ran forward and greeted us. “How did you get here? How did you-“
“Cierra, enough. I’m sure they have no idea. We should let them rest. Take them to the tent we put up for guests.” Someone said from behind her. I couldn’t help thinking they looked oddly familiar. Then again, I was probably dreaming.
“But-“
“His orders. Not mine.”
She sighed. “Yes, Sir.” She gave us a warn smile. “Follow me. I’m sure all will be explained once you’ve had time to rest.
“Hang on- WHAT?!” I said.
“May- I… I think we should follow her. I think we should.”
“Aaron, what- this is- This is crazy!”
“When Jordan wakes up, all will be explained. He’s resting now. As should you.”
Aaron put his hand on my shoulder and gave me one of those ‘I took care of your sorry butt for so long so do as I say’ kinda looks. I sighed and followed him and the weird videogame woman to a tent where she told us to stay put and apparently we were going to. Sometimes my brother lets his feelings get the best of him.

Description

Waking Up and Letting Go
May

I shot up in my bed when my brother knocked on my door. I had to hold back a scream as he had interrupted my nightmare.
“Oh, May- I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay, Aaron,” I said as I motioned for him to come in. “What time is it?”
“It’s 1:30, May. T-the cops are here.” I hated hearing my big brother stutter. It meant one of two things; he was nervous or he was sad. In this case it was both.
“I don’t want to talk to them.”
“I know, May but it’s been two months… We have to eventually.”
“What do they even want to know? If we kidnapped her? If we killed her? Why would they ask us anything? I didn’t see her for a year and suddenly they wanna ask me why she’s missing?” I could see the shock on my brother’s face. I was generally a very quiet person so expressing my opinion… well it was a very… Lily thing to do. “I’m sorry, Aaron…”
“No it’s okay, May. I understand. Just hurry and get dressed. The cops are in the living room.”
“They’re here now?” I groaned.
“Emmie- May you have to.”
“Can I have twenty minutes to watch an episode of VenturianTale?” I pleaded. I knew my brother couldn’t say no to me. Not after what we’ve been through. So what I was kinda being manipulative. I didn’t want to talk to the cops.
“Fine. But hurry, please.” Aaron walked out of my room after kissing my head.
“What am I supposed to say?” I grumbled. Of course there were no new VenturianTale episodes. There hadn’t been since Lily went missing. I’d come up with a billion different conspiracy theories about why they went missing at the same time, why my cousin’s room had burned down saving nothing but her sketchbook. I hadn’t figured out a way to tie it all into VenturianTale yet. Yet.
I got up and just put on a pair of jeans I found in the floor next to my bed. They happened to be Lily’s. Of course I would never wear her t-shirts. Missing or not, she’d kill me if I touched her batman t-shirts or hoodies. She seemed to have taken them all with her when she left anyways. So I instead decided to throw on my T.A.R.D.I.S t-shirt and threw my hair up in a bun.
I took out my computer and started playing a video while I did my makeup. Just the usual P.I.E ghost hunt video I watched nearly every day because it reminded me of my sister and me running around our backyard pretending to be Ghost and Toast while Aaron ran away from us pretending to be Maxwell. I let it play while I did some simple makeup. You know, mascara, foundation. Nothing flashy.
As the video went on, I was mouthing the words as I’d seen it so many times I had memorized it by now. “Stop watching now,” Jordan’s voice rang in my head but… But that’s not part of the video. I remember. I remember every word and Jordan never said that. “Seriously stop. You’re in danger. Stop watching. I can’t stress this enough. Stop watching.”
I turned to the computer and saw smoke rising from it. “Aaron?” I stood up and opened the door. “Aaron!”
Aaron ran into my room. “What?! What is it? May are you okay?”
“Aaron something’s going on with my computer.”
Aaron looked at the smoke and quickly grabbed me and covered my head. The computer exploded and I coughed up a storm. “What the- Aaron?”
Aaron was looking around us. He stood up and helped me to my feet. “I… I think I know where we are but-“
“I swear to Gershwin if you say we aren’t in Kansas anymore I’ll stab you.” I held my head. There were people staring at us. We were in the middle of a desert, surrounded by tents and being gawked at like we’d just fallen from the sky and asked to be taken to their leader.
“What is going on out here- Oh my,” a girl with choppy brown hair who was dressed like she was ready for the zombie apocalypse said, walking out of a tent. “Oh my J-Jordan needs to know about this!” She ran forward and greeted us. “How did you get here? How did you-“
“Cierra, enough. I’m sure they have no idea. We should let them rest. Take them to the tent we put up for guests.” Someone said from behind her. I couldn’t help thinking they looked oddly familiar. Then again, I was probably dreaming.
“But-“
“His orders. Not mine.”
She sighed. “Yes, Sir.” She gave us a warn smile. “Follow me. I’m sure all will be explained once you’ve had time to rest.
“Hang on- WHAT?!” I said.
“May- I… I think we should follow her. I think we should.”
“Aaron, what- this is- This is crazy!”
“When Jordan wakes up, all will be explained. He’s resting now. As should you.”
Aaron put his hand on my shoulder and gave me one of those ‘I took care of your sorry butt for so long so do as I say’ kinda looks. I sighed and followed him and the weird videogame woman to a tent where she told us to stay put and apparently we were going to. Sometimes my brother lets his feelings get the best of him.